Moon of Silver and Sun of Gold
by KrazyKreative
Summary: Countless seasons after Firestar's time in the forest by the lake, two apprentices of Thunderclan will discover secrets that will change everything.
1. Clan Names

**Thunderclan**

Leader - Oakstar  
>Deputy - Dapplepelt<br>Medicine Cat - Puffcloud (Rainpaw)

Warriors

Thorntail (Silverpaw)  
>Stripeclaw (Brookpaw)<br>Rosefur (Shadowpaw)  
>Toadleaf<br>Grasstail  
>Birchtree<br>Raggedfur (Flamepaw)  
>Thunderheart (Goldenpaw)<br>Swiftwind (Streampaw)  
>Dawnpelt<br>Moonfur (Pinepaw)

Apprentices

Silverpaw  
>Goldenpaw<br>Flamepaw  
>Streampaw<br>Brookpaw  
>Shadowpaw<br>Rainpaw  
>Pinepaw<p>

Queens

Mosscloud (Tinykit)  
>Softwing (Mintkit, Honeykit, Poppykit, and Tansykit)<br>Dovefeather (Ravenkit and Sleetkit)  
>Meadowgrass<p>

Elders

Halfear  
>Smallfoot<br>Grayface

**Shadowclan**

Leader - Nightstar (Swamppaw)  
>Deputy - Ratface (Toadpaw)<br>Medicine Cat - Treebark

Warriors

Mosswing (Lightpaw)  
>Breezeheart (Blackpaw)<br>Sparrowwing (Talonpaw)  
>Jadepelt<br>Fogeye  
>Cloudspring (Shallowpaw)<br>Thistleheart (Icepaw)

Apprentices

Swamppaw  
>Toadpaw<br>Ebonypaw  
>Shallowpaw<br>Icepaw  
>Lightpaw<br>Talonpaw

Queens

Cherryfur  
>Fernpelt (Tawnykit)<br>Bluecloud (Squirrelkit, Patchkit, and Spotkit)

Elders

Branchtail  
>Lichenclaw<br>Pearfur

**Windclan**

Leader - Moorstar  
>Deputy - Sunclaw<br>Medicine Cat - Fallbreeze (Snowpaw)

Warriors

Rabbitwhisker (Blackpaw)  
>Bladeclaw<br>Stormheart (Stempaw)  
>Twitchtail<br>Mudfoot  
>Owleye (Hillpaw)<br>Chillpelt (Adderpaw)  
>Skyjump (Snakepaw)<br>Badgerclaw

Apprentices

Stempaw  
>Snakepaw<br>Adderpaw  
>Hillpaw<br>Blackpaw  
>Snowpaw<p>

Queens

Bushcloud  
>Brambletail<p>

Elders

Smokypelt

**Riverclan**

Leader - Reefstar  
>Deputy - Firclaw<br>Medicine Cat - Lilyblossom

Warriors

Willowfur (Springpaw)  
>Mousetail<br>Volepelt (Hawkpaw)  
>Birchclaw (Salmonpaw)<br>Mapleleaf  
>Tulipblossom<br>Daisycloud

Apprentices

Springpaw  
>Salmonpaw<br>Hawkpaw

Queens

Pansyfur (Barkkit and Barleykit)  
>Whitetail<br>Ashcloud

* * *

><p><strong>AN -<strong> So, I was reading some Warriors stories, and noticed that they had clan allegiances as their first chapters, so I thought that that was a pretty good idea. I had this list ready before I had even started on my first chapter, and I was wondering how to put it in my story, but I figure this way works. So, here's my list, and I hope it comes in handy! :)


	2. Silverpaw

I opened my eyes in response to the light rays of dawn fighting their way to chase away the darkness of night, and blinked drowsily. Stretching my jaws open in a soundless yawn, I stepped out of the den to peer out at the fading stars being chased away by the waking sun, and stretched my legs luxuriously as I shook myself fully awake. Padding over to the pile of prey on the other side of the clearing, I picked a small vole and settled down nearby. Since everyone else was asleep, like they usually were when I woke up, I decided to go out into the forest and hunt. Once the sun rose higher, hunting would be no trouble in the pleasant greenleaf weather.

I returned to the camp with my mouth full of prey, and I dropped my load at the already abundant fresh-kill pile, then settled down to relax outside my den. I heard noises coming from the warrior's den, and seconds later two of our senior warriors, Stripeclaw and Thorntail, emerged with great stretches. I bounded over, excited to have others around.

"Good morning, Stripeclaw. Good morning, Thorntail. I'm glad you're up," I purred, bouncing around energetically.

Thorntail nodded to me before heading out to hunt, and Stripeclaw sighed. "Silverpaw, do you even sleep? I might never know, since you seem to get out of your den every morning at dawn."

I shrugged. "You'll definitely never know."

"Until you join the warrior's den."

I shivered with excitement, even though I had only been training as an apprentice for about a moon. I wouldn't be a warrior for a long time, but I still felt great anticipation at the thought. I wanted to answer nonchalantly, though.

"Only kits spend their time thinking of being a warrior, instead of what they can be doing in the time before their warrior ceremony." I lifted my chin in mock disdain.

Stripeclaw purred playfully. "Then I suppose that was a different apprentice than my own that had been jumping around since she became an apprentice, telling every single Thunderclan cat how she'll be the best warrior the lake has ever seen."

I narrowed my eyes, but we didn't have all day to chat. "Can we go to the training hollow now?"

"I was planning to go with Thunderheart and Swiftwind once they got up, so we could show you three how to stalk birds."

I grunted impatiently. "Goldenpaw and Thunderheart takes forever to wake up! We should just go with Streampaw and Swiftwind!"

My mentor just shrugged. "Thunderheart can wake up whenever he needs to, and if you have a problem with your brother's sleeping habits, you can talk to him about that. I'm going to go eat something. By the way, nice job hunting."

I huffed, and went back into the apprentice's den. Once inside, I looked around. Streampaw opened her eyes as soon as I came in, and sat up slowly.

"Good morning, Silverpaw."

"Hi, Streampaw. You don't have to get up yet."

"Oh, that's okay. I don't feel like going back to sleep." And with that, she padded out of the den. Brookpaw and Flamepaw, my other brother, also sleepily got up and left the den after mewing greetings to me, so I figured the camp would be waking up by now. Following the other three, I came out to find that our three elders were already laying out on the sunny rock near their den, and most of the warriors were talking or eating before going on with their day's activities. As I headed towards the elders to say hi, I heard Moonfur, Pinepaw, Birchtree, and Toadleaf get back from the dawn patrol. The Thunderclan leader, Oakstar, strolled over to converse with the returning cats, and calmly nodded to them after hearing their report.

_Good, that means everything's okay._

Halfear, Smallfoot, and Grayface all turned to me as I came over, and Smallfoot started purring.

"Hello, little Silverpaw. It's nice to see you over here. Is there anything you needed?"

I shook my head. "No, Smallfoot. Actually, I wanted to see if any of you needed something."

The old pale gray cat purred even more loudly. "No, we're all good, but thanks. Well, I suppose you could get us some food if you're really bored."

I nodded, relieved to have something to do. Once the elders were fed, I bounded over to Stripeclaw, hoping to start training.

"Please, please, please let us go out to practice now! Streampaw's ready! Swiftwind's eating, so he'll be ready soon enough, and I'm sure Thunderheart will wake up with all the noise in the camp! All I have to do is get Goldenpaw up! I'm on it!"

Before the gray tabby warrior could even say another word, I was halfway to the apprentice's den. I was almost in when I nearly tripped on a rolling ball of black fluff. I stopped it from tumbling further with my paw, and Ravenkit squeaked with surprise.

"Oh, hi Silverpaw! I was practicing my warrior moves with Sleetkit!"

A second fluffy kitten came over, and jumped onto my back. "Oh no," Sleetkit yowled, "An enemy warrior is attacking our camp! What should we do, Ravenwing, my brave deputy?"

I purred, happy that I was an attacking warrior in the game. Ravenkit/Ravenwing sprang at me. "We'll have to send in our reinforcements, Sleetstar! Mintwhisker, Honeyfur, Poppyclaw, and Tansycloud! Attack!"

Four energetic kits bounded over from the nursery, where I assumed both litter's mothers were still sleeping. They all piled on me, and I found myself unable to move. A voice rang out from the nursery.

"Mintkit, Honeykit, Poppykit, and Tansykit! How many times have I told you to stay in the nursery until I wake up? You're getting too rambunctious! How am I supposed to take care of you if you keep causing trouble in the camp?"

Out came Softwing, a pale tabby with a constantly tired look in her eyes. At least, that's how it had been for the five moons since her kits had been born. "Get off of Silverpaw! I'm sure she had more important things to do than be squished to death by kits! As for Ravenkit and Sleetkit, you two should behave the day of your naming ceremony!"

With those last words, all the two older kits got off of me, and I easily shook off rest of the group. With Sleetkit in the lead, the kits marched single file back to the nursery, their heads held high. I gratefully dipped my head to Softwing.

"I can't thank you enough. I wasn't sure I could make it there."

The queen purred with amusement. "Now, you can get back to what you were doing. Bye, Silverpaw."

I nodded respectfully, then finally made it to my den. Goldenpaw was the only one in there, so I had no regrets in bouncing on him with such ferocity that the kits would have been proud. The deep yellow apprentice sprang up in surprise, flinging me off. He hissed at me, but then recognized my face.

"What was that for?"

I purred, even though Goldenpaw was still glaring at me. "I figured you needed help getting up," I mewed innocently.

He huffed, but stretched and left the den instead of replying. I shrugged.

"_Well, he's up. That's something. Besides, this is nothing compared to how mad he'll be when I'm better than him at stalking birds. He's so big I'm surprised he's brought back anything other than crowfood.'_

I knew that was mean, but he was the biggest apprentice, and Shadowpaw, who was only the second biggest, was likely to become a warrior soon. I followed Goldenpaw, intent on making sure we left after he finished eating. Streampaw was pacing around the clearing, clearly anxious to leave now that she was ready. Swiftwind and Thorntail were talking casually with the rest of the warriors, and I spotted a drowsy Thunderheart sitting by the fresh-kill pile, munching on a vole. I sat patiently at the entrance to the camp, though I knew my twitching tail would give away my eagerness. Once we were all ready, Thorntail led the way to the training hollow.

* * *

><p>After a long afternoon with much success, the six of us returned to camp with mouths full of prey. I had caught a pigeon on my second bird-catching attempt, and my head was held high. Streampaw had caught a small sparrow, but her eyes were shining with excitement as well. As for Goldenpaw, he almost caught a sparrow as well, but he nearly fell off the branch, and the bird flew away. Not only that, but he could've permanently injured himself. He was at the back of the group, staring at the ground. I felt a pang of sorrow for him, since he was never a very good hunter. Fighting was more his style. The forest had been peaceful for many moons, but I knew he would be great in battles with the other three clans. We were greeted at the Thunderclan camp with many purrs and friendly nuzzles, and deposited our prey on the fresh-kill pile before waiting expectantly with the growing crowd for the naming ceremony to begin. Oakstar came out, and called together the cats. Ravenkit and Sleetkit came out of the nursery, with Dovefeather right behind them. Both kits were groomed to perfection, and bouncing with excitement.<p>

"Cats of Thunderclan," Oakstar began, "Today we name two apprentices. Ravenkit, Sleetkit, please step forward."

The kits did so, and shook nervously. Oakstar continued.

"Sleetkit, until your warrior ceremony, you shall be known as Sleetpaw. Your mentor will be Grasstail."She turned to the green-eyed tabby. "Sleetpaw will be your first apprentice, and I hope you both can learn from each other. May your enthusiasm be passed on to her."

I could see the young warrior bound forward happily, then dip down to touch noses with Sleetpaw, as was way the young cat was bouncing around, I couldn't imagine that she needed any more enthusiasm.

"Ravenkit, until your warrior ceremony, you shall be known as Ravenpaw. Your mentor will be Dawnpelt. I hope her patience becomes yours as you grow in our clan."

Dawnpelt came forward more calmly, and did the same as Grasstail. With the naming ceremony over, I headed over to my den to relax. After a few minutes, Sleetpaw and Ravenpaw came in cautiously. Since I was the only one in there, I guessed it was up to me to make them feel welcome.

"Hi, you two. Congratulations! You'll begin training early tomorrow morning, so you'll want to get plenty of rest. You two can choose any spot you can find."

They nodded gratefully, then settled down in two spots near my nest. In a few seconds, their snores buzzed through the whole den, and I was about to leave when Goldenpaw came bouncing in.

"Shh!" I growled, "Ravenpaw and Sleetpaw are asleep!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I was just talking to Oakstar, and he said we're going to our first Gathering tonight!"

"What?"

"Our first Gathering! I'm so excited! Flamepaw's going, too!"

I shivered with anticipation. The Gathering was a meeting of all four clans every full moon, where we could meet in peace to discuss the past moon and share stories. It was an honor to go. And tonight was my night.

**AN - Hey, psst! I have a little secret to share with you! See that little button down there, the one with 'Review this Story'? It's a magical button. It will make all your dreams come true, and fill me with eternal happiness. And if that doesn't help, I hope you realize that this could be the thousandth button you've ever clicked on or pressed, and you missed out because you think you're too good for a button... Just remember that, okay? :)**

**AAN (Another Author's Note) - I also wanted you to know that I'm onto you. You'll look at this story and think 'Oh, well it's not like reviews will make a difference! LOL!' You should just keep in mind that for every review I get, my self esteem rises just a bit higher. *Stares off meaningfully into space* And maybe someday, just maybe, I'll follow my dreams of becoming a writer *nods in approval of dramatic yet achingly cheesy typing*, and all because of those few (or more then few) words you wrote for my story. Maybe I'll never forget that one review that changed my life; it could impact me for the rest of my days!**

**YAAN (Yet Another Author's Note) - If nothing I've put in these Author's Notes have worked, then maybe I can just be even more cheesy and give shoutouts a try... :p No, I wouldn't give reviewers a shoutout unless they asked me to. : )  
><strong>


	3. First Gathering

**First Gathering - **

**AN - Sorry for my insanely long amount of time taken to get this out! I had absolutely NO internet access since the beginning of June! Thank goodness I FINALLY got it out!  
><strong>

I stared in excitement at Oakstar as he called together the cats attending the Gathering. My mother, Moonpelt, gave my head one last lick. I backed away self-consciously.

"Mother, I'm not a kit anymore."

She purred affectionately. "I'm sorry, my little warrior. It can be so easy to forget sometimes."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would it be hard for you to forget?"

Goldenpaw interceded. "Because you're still kit-sized," he snorted.

I growled playfully. "And you're almost the size of Oakstar!"

"Kit!"

"Lion!"

"That's not an insult," he sneered, crouching.

Moonpelt interrupted, her tone serious this time. "This is not the time to play. I want you to behave yourselves, understand?"

Flamepaw appeared behind her, walking forward with his chest puffed out in mock superiority. "Don't worry, Mother, I'll watch over these immature apprentices."  
>Goldenpaw and I, still crouched in fighting positions, nodded to each other. As one, we pounced on top of our brother. He didn't see it coming, and could not even raise a paw in defense. In seconds, the three of us became a flurry of orange, golden yellow, and silvery gray. Our mother sighed.<p>

"That's what I was talking about."

Thorntail and Raggedfur came up. "Don't worry, Moonfur. We can watch out for them."

She purred gratefully. "I don't know how you handle them."

Thorntail nodded in understanding. "We try," he said modestly.

"Well, I need to get back to the nursery to check on Meadowgrass; Puffcloud and Rainpaw are going over their supplies, and asked me to see if she was doing well, and to make sure that she was taking plenty of borage. Her kits are expected soon. Remember, follow your mentor's advice and instructions, you three," the pale orange tabby she-cat instructed sternly.

Goldenpaw, Flamepaw, and I straightened up immediately, resulting in our mother smoothing out our fur for what felt like the hundredth time, then hurrying away to the nursery. I shook my head.

"She worries too much."

Goldenpaw huffed. "No kidding."

"You apprentices are too much work," Raggedfur complained dramatically.

Thorntail purred, amused. "It feels that way with first apprentices."

My tail twitched in exaggerated annoyance. "You mentors are too much work!"

As Flamepaw backed out silently to talk with a group of cats also attending the gathering, Goldenpaw voiced his agreement. "Yeah, always telling us what to do."  
>Both mentor's eyes narrowed in amusement. "I'm sure you'd be ready to become a warrior in no time with no mentor to teach you," Raggedfur purred mischievously.<br>My heart immediately thumped faster at the mention of becoming a warrior, as I had come to expect during the past moon whenever anyone brought it up. But I didn't have time to reply, because Thunderheart padded up, looking impatient. "Why is Oakstar taking so long?"

I instinctively turned my head to our leader, to find him gazing in our direction. I looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught staring at the dark gray warrior.

_'Although, he was just staring at us...'_

He snapped back into focus, and lead us out of the camp. I shivered in excitement. Before I could follow, I saw Moonpelt come bounding up to me again. My ear twitched irritably.

"What, Mother?"

She stopped, quickly opening her mouth to speak. "Don't forget, Silverpaw," she whispered urgently, her eyes scanning around to make sure only I could hear her, "tell your brothers not to discuss your father. I don't want gossip going around the clans. Understood?"

I sighed. "What's the big deal?"

"I'm just not wanting to cause unneeded attention to Thunderclan or their apprentices."

I turned to walk behind the last of the other cats going to the gathering, while meowing my reply over my shoulder. "Fine, but I bet you could hear the mysterious tone in Oakstar's voice when he announced three fine new kits in Thunderclan."

My mother looked exasperated. "Just talk about other things. Goodness! I just wanted to make sure that you were sure to be careful about how much you tell those you meet tonight."

My eyes rolled. "Have a little faith. It's not like I'll be describing our camp in detail to a bunch of strangers."  
>"Just behave."<p>

I nodded impatiently, and bounded off, hoping I wasn't too far behind. When I caught up with Flamepaw and Goldenpaw, I slowed my pace to a steady walk. Goldenpaw nuzzled my shoulder affectionately.

When we got to the tree trunk separating us from our destination, I finally let the excitement and anxiety catch up with me. My breathing quickened as I tried to push the fears away. The island on the lake was covered with trees, and I could only imagine the sight and sounds and smells associated with my first glimpse of the three other clans. All I knew about them came from the constant stories our mothers had used in the nursery to make us behave, the gossip and tales from our elders when they stretched out for a casual conversation in the bright afternoon sun, and the boasting of our senior warriors when I got close enough to listen. But now I would have real stories. Sure, there would still be the gossiping elders and boasting warriors, but it would be from new perspectives. Very rarely was there any new exciting stories to be heard in the Thunderclan camp, with the way our lives had been going for the past several seasons. Any stories going through our home had been heard already. They had eventually lost their shine. One that had interested me, however, was one of a brave leader of Thunderclan from countless seasons ago named Bluestar. She was said to have been courageous, loving, kind, decisive, selfless, wise, cunning, and all the other things I wanted to be when I became a warrior.  
>'Someday our clans will tell the tale of Silverstar, the greatest leader the forest has ever known. Courageous, loving, kind, deci-'<p>

My thoughts were interrupted by a hard nudge from Flamepaw, and I realized that it was now my turn to cross the bridge. Thorntail came up as well, a worried look in his eye.

"Silverpaw," he warned, "remember; don't rush yourself. One pawstep at a time, okay?"

I huffed. "I'm fine."

As I had predicted, I made it across the log without much difficulty, waiting on the other side with a smug expression on my face. My mentor crossed, his eyes narrowing.

"You don't have to look so proud about that."

But before I could respond, a yowl rang out behind him, and I heard a splash. I recognized that voice. Both Goldenpaw and I gasped, jumping back to the edge of the bridge.

"Flamepaw!"

Without thinking, I lunged past Thorntail, reaching the spot where my brother had been seconds before. I tried to reach him, but I didn't know what to do. A paw reached in the frigid water to pull him out, and I looked up to see my mentor drag Flamepaw out of the dark lake. I nodded in gratitude, and moved on the the next problem. Spinning around, I found myself facing my least favorite cat.

"Sorry," Shadowpaw sneered, ignoring my small growl of anger, "I was just putting out the flames."

I tensed, not wanting to endanger my balance, but definitely sensing the desire within to push him off. Behind me, Goldenpaw seemed to have the same idea. Before anything could happen, Rosefur appeared behind the dark tabby apprentice.

"Shadowpaw! Did I just see you push a fellow apprentice into the lake? During his first time?" his mentor growled.

I stepped off the log, not wanting to get caught in the impending argument, but not quite letting up my attack stance yet. Goldenpaw nudged my shoulder, gesturing to our brother when he had my attention. In seconds, I snapped out of my position and practically flew to where Flamepaw lay shivering.

"Is he all right?" I fretfully asked both my mentor and Flamepaw's, who were licking his fur to warm him up.

Goldenpaw came to sit next to me, his eyes now serious. "He'll be fine, Silver."

"Silverpaw." I turned to him, my tail flicking in irritation. "I told you not to call me Silver."

He shrugged, but I could see a flicker of brotherly teasing slightly light up his composed face. Flamepaw slowly pulled his head up to stare at us.

"Hmm... I thought you two would be ripping off that piece of-" he cut off, glancing at the two mentors paying attention to our conversation. He cleared his throat. "I thought you'd be over there ripping Shadowpaw's fur out."

I purred affectionately. "Rosefur beat us to it."

Goldenpaw turned his head towards the cats in discussion, and seemed pleased with the way the conversation was going. Shadowpaw was ducking his head down, not in remorse, but still in defeat. Success.

Thorntail's concerned question broke through my concentration. "Flamepaw, do you think you're able to walk now?"

My brother sprang up without hesitation. "The gathering! I forgot!"

"Don't worry," I assured him, "there's no penalties for being late when you were too busy drowning."

I'm not sure if he heard me; he was halfway to where I assumed the clearing would be by the time I opened my mouth. Bounding after him, I felt Goldenpaw's shoulder hit mine as he fought to get ahead of me.

_'In the mood for racing, huh? Who am I to object?'_

Gaining more speed as I tore through the underbrush, my paws seemed to realize the urgency of this race. There was no way I would let my brothers beat me to the Gathering. I'd rather have Shadowpaw push me into the lake. Soon, I was approaching Flamepaw's slower pace, and then - finally - I was in the lead.

_'Where I belong, of course,'_ I thought smugly.

Ignoring my aching lungs, I forced myself to higher speeds, until I came to a crashing halt right before I would've knocked over the Thunderclan deputy, Dapplepelt. She spun around instantly, her legs automatically spreading into a defensive position. Her teeth bared, she let out a growl that had me backtracking until I could hear my brothers running through the trees again. Recognition, followed by disapproval, quickly lightened her face, and she straightened up.

"Sorry, Dapplepelt," I mewed apologetically. Both Goldenpaw and Flamepaw stepped back a bit to give me the spotlight.

_'Yeah, thanks, guys.'_

Her amber eyes narrowed, but I think it was more out of amusement than anything else. "Well, you better get there before you miss anything."

All three of us nodding in respect, we padded more calmly to the edge of the undergrowth. We stepped into the lit area, and stopped immediately.

_'So many... cats. How could there be this many?'_

I was bewildered. The scent was pretty nasty, seeming to consist of fish, pine trees, rats and toads, and the strange smell of the moor. I had only lightly sensed all this when patrolling the borders, and it could not compare to the force that hit my nose now. My brothers seemed as intrigued as I did, so we waited to take it all in and calm down again. Once my head was cleared, I got a better look of the cats. I spotted the tree our warriors had talked about, standing tall in the center of the clearing; all four leaders were up there now. Oakstar's usually shadowy gray was now almost a pretty silver in the light of the full moon. To his right, a completely black - and completely huge - tom gazed at the assembled cats with no interest in his yellow topaz eyes. In fact, his eyes compared well to a rock; they showed no emotion - except possibly a lasting anger - and seemed to be as hard as stone. I shivered, and moved on, assuming that cat could only be Nightstar, the young leader of Shadowclan. He had been leader for only a few moons now. On a slightly higher branch, across from the dark Shadowclan leader, sat a blueish gray she-cat. Her fur seemed to sparkle, and I couldn't stop staring. It reminded me of the description of the Moonstone, which lay in a cave in a forest that the elders said the clans had lived, uncountable seasons ago.

_'Okay, that would be Reefstar, the leader of Riverclan. But who did Thorntail say her deputy was?'_

To answer my question, a large brown tabby tom came to the spot under her branch, chatting casually with Ratface, the grotesque Shadowclan deputy.

_'That's right, it's Firclaw. Geez, our mentors weren't kidding when they said that Ratface had a permanent scowl. Not that he needs it with the huge claws.'_

Deciding to look past the two conversing deputies, I turned to observe the only Clan leader left. Moorstar, the leader of Windclan, sat patiently, his warm gray eyes moving around the clearing. He was not a young cat, but he wasn't an old cat either. Like his branch position compared to the other leaders, he was comfortably in the middle. Sitting dutifully right below Moorstar sat Sunclaw, his strong yet reasonable deputy.

"Oakstar," Moorstar mewed in greeting, 'How's the prey running?"

"Fine," our leader responded cooly, "and yours?"

"Better than ever, my friend."

Both leaders turned their heads, along with every other cat, to Shadowstar, who had stepped forward to speak first.

"Welcome, cats from all clans. Shadowclan is striving, and is happy to report two newborn kits, and a new warrior, Jadepelt!" We all looked over to a proud-looking gray tom. "We also have a very unusual report of fresh-kill found in the heart of our territory, so I would like to alert all the clans to possible rogues in the area."  
>An uncomfortable murmur swept through the gathered cats. We hadn't heard of this for moons.<p>

One voice spoke up. It was Ratface's. "Nightstar, you know what I told you! Thunderclan! Thunderclan scent was on that prey!"

Oakstar bristled. "How dare you accuse my clan of stealing prey!"

Shadowstar looked uneasy. "I am not putting the blame on any cat. I apologize for my deputy's rash behavior."

Dapplepelt straightened up, her fur standing up straight. "Would you like to say that to my face, Scatface?"

His eyes narrowed. "WHAT did you just call ME?" he hissed.

"You heard me." Cats from Thunderclan came up behind her, backing her up, yowling words of approval, while my mother pulled my brothers and I to wear the elders sat.

Shadowclan warriors crouched up threateningly behind their deputy, growling at my clanmmates.

Dark clouds covered the moon, a sign my clan's elders had once told me meant that Starclan was angry. "Enough!" Reefstar called! "This gathering is over, as shown by Starclan!"

In a second, both Riverclan and Windclan were gone, hurrying back to their territories. Oakstar came up between the raging deputies.  
>"You two need to calm down. I suggest you both apologize."<p>

"Never," they hissed out at the same time.

Nightstar came up beside Oakstar. "I am sorry for this misunderstanding, Oakstar."

The Thunderclan leader nodded towards him. "It's fine."

"Besides, I'm sure your clanmate did not intend to hunt on Shadowclan territory."

Oakstar snapped his head back to Nightstar. "WHAT?"

Nightstar's eyes intensified. "I'm-sure-your-clanmate-didn't-mean-to-STEAL. What, you thought I meant what I said to the other clans? Only our two clans need to be concerned with this little thieving incident."

And suddenly, the position lineup changed. Both leaders were now facing each other, with their deputies by their sides, along with the other clanmates. My mother swept her tail over us protectively.

Oakstar growled. "I think you mean that your deputy didn't mean to sound so irrational during the Gathering." And with that, our clan turned and raced to the tree trunk, most either too stunned or too angry for words.

Back at camp, Oakstar came charging in, all of us following. Several cats came rushing out of their dens to hear about the Gathering. Our leader jumped onto the Highledge.

"**Cats of Thunderclan! We are now at war with Shadowclan!**"

No cat said a word.


	4. The Signs of a Storm

**AN - Hi! I know it's been FOREVER since I posted a real chapter, and this is short, but I knew I needed to get something out or it would never get done, and once I have a new chapter for every story, I can start a better routine to keep up a steady pace. I'm not sure about my chapter names, but I try. I really wish more people would review...**

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><p>I felt shaken. After Oakstar had explained the events of the Gathering, we all talked softly with each other, not sure how to respond to this. Only the Oakstar, the elders, and a few of the senior warriors had experienced a real battle in their life, and to suddenly be at war with a clan was shocking. Was it that easy? One piece of possibly stolen prey, and we're at war? The clan returned to their dens soon after, and our leader and deputy came together by Oakstar's den to discuss things.<p>

Things were not quiet in the apprentice's den. Since we were the most unexperienced of our clan - not that many of the warriors had anything more than better training - it wasn't likely that too many of us were going to be included in any battles. Shadowpaw was likely to be chosen, along with Goldenpaw. I couldn't help but hope that I would get to fight, since I could have a chance to prove that I was strong.

Goldenpaw nudged me, breaking my train of thought. "So, which side do you think will strike first?"

I pondered that. "Probably Shadowclan. They're said to be more dark. Besides, Oakstar is smart. He'll make a wise choice, and since we've avoided fighting for so long, it's probably best that we just hope that Shadowclan will decide that it's not worth it."

Goldnpaw shook his head, seeming irritated. "I didn't like the look of that Nightstar, but I can't help that I want to take part in a battle. Do you know what I mean?"

"I agree. The whole clan seemed a little hostile. Maybe a small battle would settle things, and we'd get to actually make use of our battle moves." Though we didn't actually know too many moves, I was sure that we'd be useful. Our conversation didn't continue, though, because Dapplepelt ducked her head in to tell us to get some rest. I knew that it would be difficult for our two new apprentices, since they had just gotten started. Ravenpaw and Sleetpaw were curled up next to each other now, their tails twitching to indicate that they were nervous about what tomorrow would bring. I knew how they felt.

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><p>The morning was bright, just like the day before, but I still felt nervous. Instead of going off to hunt like I usually would when I got up, I simply sat down in a good spot for letting the rising sun warm my fur. It was relaxing, and I didn't have to think about anything else. When a few of my clanmates woke up, I joined them at the fresh-kill pile, picking out a mouse. Thorntail came out of the warrior's den.<p>

"We have a lot of training for today, Silverpaw. We need to have the apprentices ready for any attacks Shadowclan might be planning," my mentor said, settling down with a small squirrel. I felt slightly nervous, but quickly pushed that away. Our clan needed brave fighters, not scared little kits.  
>"What are we learning today?" I asked, but my usual enthusiasm wasn't quite as present.<p>

Thorntail seemed to notice the hint of doubt in my voice, but did not say anything about it. "We will be observing what skills you have, and then work on what we think will help you most."

As exciting as that might've been to me yesterday, I wondered what would happen if I wasn't ready. I couldn't miss such a rare chance to fight - what's a warrior with no harm to protect their clan from? - but I wasn't sure that I would be much of a help to my clan. There was a small bit of a selfish need to protect myself, but I pushed that away. Leaping up, I bounded to the entrance of the Thunderclan camp as I would any other day. I would take what came to me, no matter what. Still, I couldn't help but feel as if there was a silent wind in the air, warning me of the coming danger. Like the signs of a storm in the near future. The only problem was that I wasn't sure if I was going to hide in my den like a kit, or face the storm with courage.


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